Melt Into Me
by Snow Duchess
Summary: FFVI. Five brief moments of affection between kindred spirits. Now complete with a bonus epilogue.
1. Narshe Meetings

Melt Into Me

_Disclaimer: All rights belong to Squaresoft._

_Summary: Five brief moments of affection between kindred spirits. Celes/Terra. _

_Author's Note: I don't normally do pieces from Terra's point of view, so I though I'd give it a shot._

* * *

Everyone was arguing. What about, I had no idea. Something political. All I knew is it hurt my head. Rubbing my temples, I fought to keep their words from blending together. A hand landed on my shoulder, and I looked up to see Celes mutely watching the debate. I guess she was wise to stay out of it. 

In an effort to block out the growing headache, I focused on the blonde. I had this nagging feeling that I knew her from somewhere, but I just couldn't remember. She seemed to know me, but maybe that's because she was a general of the Empire.

I had to keep reminding myself of that. The others certainly weren't happy when Locke showed up with her in tow. I think Cyan called her a butcher, and I noticed she didn't even tense a muscle, almost like she was expecting it. It was strange to me; she didn't seem like a bad person. As soon as Cyan's anger was directed towards me, though, her sword was at his throat before I could blink. Odd that she'd be the one to defend me.

Tearing my gaze away from her, I returned my attention to the Returners and the Narshe gentry.

"Narshe is neutral!" The elder cried. "And now we're about to be invaded because of some frozen mythical beast we didn't know we had." He gestured in my direction. "This girl being here again isn't making matters better, either."

Banon pinched the bridge of his nose. "And what do you suggest we do?"

"Hand the girl over to the Imperials!"

Celes perked up. "Over my cold and rotting corpse."

"That can be arranged," Cyan growled, half drawing his katana.

"Oh, stay your blade, Garamonde, before I stay it for you," Celes snapped.

"Give them the general, too!" the elder added. "Maybe it would appease them."

Celes took a breath to speak what would probably be considered too foul to come from a lady's lips, but she quickly shut her mouth with an audible click of her teeth. She started again, calmer. "Fine. You don't want my help?" She picked up her sheathed sword off the table and started walking to the door. "I'm gone."

The elder recoiled a full step back as Celes passed in front of him. Obviously there was more to her demeanor than I was aware of. Not that it mattered to me, because I didn't want this woman to leave.

"Where will you go?" I asked.

"Anywhere but here." Stopping short of the door, she turned towards me. "Come with me."

I really wasn't expecting such an innocent request. Or maybe it was a question. She almost sounded…I don't know…hopeful?

As if realizing that very fact from the confusion written on my face, her defenses went back up, and she quickly backtracked. "Forget it."

She was out the door before I could respond. Cyan grunted in approval, while Locke just rubbed his forehead.

Edgar sighed. A beat of silence passed. "Locke…"

"I know, I'll bring her back."

He, too, disappeared through the door. I hoped he could convince her to stay. Even if I couldn't grasp whatever memories I may have of her, I did sense a kindred spirit in her. For the first time, I didn't feel so alone in the world.

* * *

_Coming soon: Zozo and co.  
_


	2. Zozo and Co

Melt Into Me

_Disclaimer: All rights belong to Squaresoft._

* * *

It was peaceful there. Time had no meaning, and things were so much clearer in the spiritual realm. It wasn't specific memories that came to me, so much as a general feeling about certain things. I knew I had been the Empire's lab rat and that I had been forced to do some terrible things. I also knew that Celes and I had met years before and that she was at least one person who didn't treat me like I was an animal.

What I didn't know was why I was different or why I changed. I didn't understand why my mutated body was laying on an altar in a strange place with my consciousness floating nearby.

I saw Edgar, Sabin, Locke, and Celes enter the room. Overjoyed, I opened my disembodied mouth to greet them when I felt a gentle hand land on my shoulder. I looked up into Ramuh's kind face.

_They cannot hear you nor see you_, the sage reminded me.

My face fell. _I know._

Celes was the first to approach the altar, ever confident, but with her brow furrowed in concern. Unconcerned with the heat, she touched an icy hand to my face. The contact of the two elements sizzled and steamed, and the pink blaze of flame and fur died away, leaving my unconscious form human and naked. I guess whatever clothes I had been wearing were devoured by the fires of my transformation. Without a word, she unclasped the cloak from her shoulders and draped it over my nude body. She exuded such tenderness, I nearly cried that I couldn't wake up to ease her worry.

The others watched with unreadable expressions. I guess Celes was still pretty cold to them. They didn't know that a simple gesture like that was just the tip of the iceberg, so to speak. Not sure how _I_ knew that, but that's not the point.

Ramuh said goodbye to me then and appeared to the Returners, as I could not. Lazily, I circled them as they spoke. More than once during their conversation, I passed by Celes. Each time she lifted her gaze from the Esper and looked around as if sensing something, while the guys didn't seem to notice me. I wondered if perhaps it was part of her military training, to have her instincts honed to pick up the tiniest fluctuations in the environment around her. Or maybe it was a magic thing. Back in Narshe, she had said she felt the Esper's mind, so maybe she felt mine.

Ramuh disappeared in a brilliant flash of light, leaving only a glowing stone in his wake. The guys said their goodbyes to the body on the altar, and I smiled when Celes turned more in my general direction.

"We'll be back," she whispered.

I reached a hand out to brush her cheek, but of course it passed right through her. Nevertheless, I saw her eyes register the touch, and the corner of her mouth quirked upwards for the briefest of moments.

She turned on her heel and followed the others out, and I was alone. The smile turned a bit more sad, but it never left my face.

* * *

_Next up: Bittersweet Boat Rides_


	3. Bittersweet Boat Rides

Melt Into Me

_Disclaimer: All rights belong to Squaresoft._

* * *

I had spent the last few months running scared from the Empire. To say the least, it wasn't comforting that we were being coerced into working with them. With a churning gut and Locke at my side, I followed our small Imperial escort to the docks of Albrook. There, a clean-cut officer awaited us. 

"Welcome, Mister Cole, Miss Branford," the man greeted with a polite bow. "I am General Leo Cristophe. I hope to make this journey run as smoothly as possible."

Locke shrugged, unimpressed. "So you're the one in charge, eh?"

The corner of Leo's mouth twitched upward. "As it were, I am accompanied by a fellow general. An officer you are quite familiar with, if I am not mistaken."

It was then I noticed her approach from behind Leo, in all her Imperial glory. I don't think I realized my jaw had dropped until I saw the same look on Locke. I also wasn't sure if Celes co-commanding our little mission was more comforting or less. The question of trust was not exactly a simple one, and it didn't help that she refused eye contact with either of us. She barely spoke a word and even then, it was to Leo.

The lady general's older counterpart seemed like a honorable man, but like with Celes, the Imperial uniform weighed heavily on my fear. I vaguely remembered Leo, another rarity that treated me decently. It came as no surprise that he and Celes had been (and probably still were) close. For the briefest moment, I found myself wondering if the two had ever been involved…

The ship set sail, and the day slowly passed. I noted with some sadness that Celes had only made an appearance in the common room of the lower deck to retrieve her dinner. The rest of the day, she remained in her private cabin. It wasn't until the following afternoon that she actually sat down at the table Leo occupied.

Finally, I walked over to her. "Hi, Celes."

She didn't look up from her book. "Terra."

"How have you been?" Celes raised a brow but neither met my gaze nor answered the question. I lowered my head, a bit discouraged. "I heard what happened…" Receiving a wary look, I cringed before continuing. "The others figured you dead."

"As you can see, I'm not," came her cold reply.

I held back a sigh and tried one last time. "I'm glad you're okay."

I was met with silence. It seemed the very idea of friendly intentions turned to ice and shattered on the ground before the general. Tears stinging my eyes and blurring my vision, I retreated up the stairs to the upper deck. I clutched the rail as I stared into the waves below, letting the wind dry my cheeks. I think a full minute passed before the cabin door opened again. She came up behind me, standing so close I could feel her breath on my hair.

"I'm sorry."

The whisper sent shivers down my spine. Without a word, I turned and flung my arms around her neck, burying my face in the crook of her neck. I held her tight, but when she didn't return the embrace, I pulled back just enough to search her ice-blue eyes. So cold, and I didn't understand why.

"What happened to you?"

Her only response was to break from my gaze, but I could still see her struggling to hide her pain. I was starting to realize it would take more than I possessed to thaw her armor.

* * *

_Next up: Mobliz Reunions_


	4. Mobliz Reunions

Melt Into Me

_Disclaimer: All rights belong to Squaresoft._

* * *

We failed. Over a year had passed, and that was still the only thing I could grasp. We couldn't stop him. We could only stand back and gawk, immobilized as Gestahl spouted out words of corruption and greed. I was forced to watch as even Celes' steadfastness and loyalty were tested against the enticing power of the Three Goddesses, an internal conflict of honor and self-preservation. 

I had watched as she met my gaze, refusing the tempting promises and seductive power offered her before running Kefka through with her sword.

I had listened as Kefka laughed and batted her aside, calling on the Goddesses to heed his call.

I had cringed when Gestahl was struck down and sent plummeting to the world below.

I had whimpered as Kefka doomed the world.

Almost fourteen months since The Ruin had passed, and still I dreamt it every night, every morning waking up to my own scream as I fell from the _Blackjack's_ splintered deck.

The end of the world, and I survived, lived on to watch its slow decay.

Kefka's Light of Judgment had left Mobliz in ruins. Duane and Katarin, barely eighteen, were the only other adults, with about a dozen small children under their care. I had to wonder if the rest of the world had suffered like that as well. I thought about my friends and if any of them had survived the fall.

On the outskirts of Mobliz, I stood at the water's edge, deep in thought. It had become my customary place of solitude, where my 'family' knew I wasn't to be bothered. Of course, when I felt a familiar cold presence step up beside me, I couldn't help but smile. Without even glancing at her, I made my greeting.

"I should have known you would survive."

"Takes more than global annihilation to kill me." I could tell she was also smiling even before she turned to me. "How are you, Ter?"

I kept my gaze on the water as I answered. "Alive."

She turned her eyes back to the horizon. "I know the feeling."

Hearing a note of melancholy in her voice, I finally turned to her. To the casual observer, it would have appeared she was relaxed. I knew her better than that, of course, and saw that just beneath her serene expression lay a nameless turmoil. Studying her profile, it looked as though she had grown more than just a year older. I wondered what unspeakable horrors had made this once young and vibrant woman age far beyond her twenty years. I suppose more than anything, she looked tired.

"What happened?"

"Some things are best left buried."

She said it as though it brimmed with irony. I took a breath to press but instead let it out in a bittersweet laugh. "You're never going to let me in, are you?" I dropped my gaze back to the water. "Every time I think I'm getting close, you put your armor back on."

Celes shook her head. "You melted my armor, Ter. I don't have any left."

I glanced at her thoughtfully. "Is that why you keep me at arm's length?"

She turned to me in surprise. "What? Terra, I don't—"

"It's like you're afraid I'm going to burn you."

She looked away, no longer attempting denial. "I missed you, Ter."

My smile returned at the admission. When I pulled her into a soft hug, I was happy to find that she returned it. I began to let go, but by some foreign and repressed reflex, I leaned closer, nearly pressing my lips to hers. Only when she withdrew slightly in surprise did I realize what I was doing.

Letting my arms slip away from her neck, I cleared my throat and took a couple awkward steps back. I then gave a nervous chuckle, and when I mustered enough courage to look in her eyes again, the blue orbs glinted with amusement. Damn her. Leave it to Celes to find humor in my humiliation.

I cleared my throat again, pretending I didn't notice how hot my face felt. "You're, um, welcome to stay for as long as you want."

The corner of her mouth quirked up for a fraction of a second before a faint sadness took over again. "I can stay for a while."

And again I could only watch as her 'melted' armor froze and snapped right back into place.

* * *

_Coming soon__, the fifth and final installment : Pre-Armageddon Meltdown _

_ Though, if you ask nicely, I might add a sixth...  
_


	5. Pre Armageddon Meltdown

Melt Into Me

_Disclaimer: All rights belong to Squaresoft._

_Happy Valentine's Day! _

* * *

Kefka's Tower was in sight. This whole thing was going to end soon, one way or another. My companions were all milling about the lower cabin of the _Falcon_, stocking their packs with supplies and fiddling with their weapons. They were oddly quiet, too, and stayed close together, finding comfort in the silent camaraderie. The tension, though, was thick enough to swim through. 

Looking around the cabin, I noticed that one person besides our pilot was missing. Slipping away to the upper deck, I first saw Setzer standing at the wheel. It was behind me, at the airship's stern, that I found Celes. With the others, I could read what they were feeling by their expressions; the look of nervous anticipation was identical on each one of them, and their postures all but screamed their mounting distress.

Celes was harder to read. Actually, she was impossible to read. She stood gazing off at the horizon, face impassive and stance relaxed. Her eyes did nothing to betray her thoughts. A part of me had to wonder if she _tried_ to be that way, or if it just came naturally to her. My mind wandered back to Mobliz when, for a moment at least, she seemed more open.

I wanted her to let me in, almost desperately so. I sensed I was on the verge of understanding something significant, and I had a feeling Celes was the key. I had to know, and I was tired of waiting for my memories to clear a path to the answer I wanted. Seeing that there was the distinct possibility that we were all going to die, I resolved to just kiss the girl, humiliation be damned.

"Hey, Cel."

"Terra."

"Almost there," I noted pointlessly. "Looks like this is it."

"Looks like."

Her economy of words was astounding. "Are you going to miss it? Your magic?"

"Don't know yet."

I held back a sigh. She wasn't making this easy. "Think it'll be quick?"

"What?"

"When I…_if_ I…" I found I couldn't even finish the thought as my vision suddenly blurred. "Think it'll hurt?"

She gave a small shrug, not taking her eyes off the sky. "Wouldn't worry about it."

I drew back as if slapped in the face. "How can you stay so neutral?"

She didn't even flinch. "Long arduous hours of practice."

I threw my hands up in frustration and, without my permission, tears spilled from my eyes. "Gods, Celes, could you at least _pretend_ to care?"

She regarded me passively. "I do care."

"Not that I can see! You're all…stoic, and, and, and calm."

"Do you want me to panic?" she asked carefully.

"Yes, panic!" I all but shrieked. "Or, or cry or joke around! _Something_ that shows you feel—"

My words became muffled, and it was a full second before I registered Celes' lips on mine. In that very instant, I knew what that feeling was that had been eluding me for two years. As another second passed, though, and all coherent thought flew out the window.

When she pulled gently away, to say I was dazed would be an understatement. "What was that?"

"Me panicking," she replied simply.

"Oh."

The others started coming up from the lower deck, and Celes took a small step back. Her hand, however, remained on my cheek in a soft caress. "We'll get through this."

Seeing a flicker of that same emotion in the cold depths of her eyes, I believed her.

* * *

_An epilogue of sorts will be posted soon :)  
_


	6. The Melting Snow

Melt Into Me

_Disclaimer: All rights belong to Squaresoft._

_Author's notes: I apologize for the delay. I had a lengthy term paper due this weekend that pretty much stole all my free time. I'm not sure I like the way this turned out, but I'm too tired to worry about it.  
_

_Thank you to everyone who read these little moments and especially to those who reviewed. I always try to shed a different light on a game we know so well, and I hope you all enjoyed it as much as I did.

* * *

_

The good guys prevailed. I had no idea trisecting a god could be so fulfilling, but when I watched Kefka topple over from the damage my Atma Weapon and Celes' Illumina inflicted, I very nearly burst into song.

Edgar must have read my mind. "Ding dong, the clown is dead," he announced with great satisfaction.

I chuckled as the guys all shared a good cheer at that. The feeling of exhilaration soon passed, though, and the world began to crumble.

I remember feeling faint as I watched Relm and Strago rub their heads in pain, I remember Celes clutching her chest and collapsing to the ground in convulsions. I remember Locke dropping down with her, taking the brunt of her seizure to keep her from hurting herself and whispering soothing words to quiet her screams of agony. I remember wondering why she was the one suffering while I stood unscathed. I remember a blinding pain and the coming darkness.

I'm not really sure what happened after that.

When the darkness receded, I found myself half-lying half-sitting on the deck of the _Falcon_, Celes' arms around me protectively. I knew the others all stood worriedly around us, but even as I stirred, her hold didn't loosen. The first conscious thought I had was that we had survived.

My next conscious thought was the realization that it was gone. My magic, my Esper half, my father's heritage: gone. Only a gaping hole remained in its wake. With that knowledge, tears coursed down my face unbidden, and I was grateful for my friends' silence.

I looked back over my shoulder at Celes, searching for any wisdom she had to guide me through this. The hollowness of her expression, though, told me she was just as lost as I was. To see such a look in her eyes was more than I could bear, and I cried harder. I think that roused her from her trance because she suddenly looked at me in concern.

"Ter?"

"It's gone," I breathed. "It's really gone."

"But we're not." She cracked a tiny grin. "Told you we'd get through this."

I tried to mirror her smile. I knew she was just hiding the pain and emptiness, but I had never welcomed that mask as I did at that moment. I guess the sweetness of lies was sometimes easier to face than the cold truth.

Our return to Figaro heralded the start of the largest celebration in centuries. Food, drink, and dancing was accompanied by the guys regaling the other guests with heroic stories of the war, from trying to bury Kefka under Figaro and feasting with the emperor to fighting a giant purple octopus. I chuckled quietly when Locke received a sharp punch in the arm for spilling the beans about Celes' little opera escapade. Of course, it was about this time people started realizing she was in fact the former Imperial general, and Celes soon found herself surrounded by curious patrons, bombarded by questions. As uncomfortable as I knew she was, her skills of diplomacy never faltered.

Many inquired as the where the 'heroes' would go after the festivities died down. Edgar's answer was obvious as he was the king of Figaro. Sabin had decided to remain the in kingdom for at least a little while before returning to the monk lifestyle. Locke, ever the adventurous wanderer, wanted to resume his travels of the world in search of rare relics and fabled treasures. Setzer would continue to be master of the skies in all of his glorified freedom. Cyan had plans to rebuild his fallen kingdom and seemed to have taken Gau under his wing. Strago wanted to return home to Thamasa, and Relm intended on applying to art academies across the world. Mog and Umaro longed for the familiar snowcaps of Narshe where the rest of the moogle population almost certainly were still hiding. Shadow and Gogo were both notably absent, having shied away from the large throng of people.

I smiled to myself when I noticed Celes, too, slipped away. Taking one last sip of my champagne, I set the glass down and made my own stealthy exit. Wanting fresh air, I retreated up the stairs of Figaro's central observation tower. As I had expected, Celes was already there, elbows resting on the stone rail as she stared out over the desert. Welcoming the cool breeze, I took a similar position next to her. Neither of us said anything for a while. We didn't have to. We simply enjoyed the night air.

When I finally asked her where she was thinking of going, she gave a small shrug. The tiny cryptic smile on her face told me she was finally feeling free of her past, like a bird released from its cage into the boundless sky. I got the feeling she would travel the world with Locke merely for the sake of traveling. I suppressed the twinge of jealousy at the thought because I knew that was just how she was. She wasn't the type to settle down and live a quiet life. Not yet. That was okay, though. I could wait.

Of its own volition, my hand crept over to hers and gave a light squeeze. Celes looked thoughtfully at our linked hands for moment before turning her gaze to me. Shifting so that she faced me, she gave my hand a gentle tug and pulled me into a soft kiss. In just that one kiss, I could sense the snow beginning to melt in the wake of our magic's death.

I knew it would take time for her; a glacier doesn't thaw overnight. Time, though, was something I finally knew I had. I would go back to Mobliz, of course, as I had promised I would. There wasn't a doubt in my mind that she would find me again, and that when she did, she would completely melt into me.

* * *

_Six years later…_

Though Mobliz was still a fraction of what the town it used to be, the restoration project Edgar was funding was coming steadily along. Most of the kids were becoming self-sufficient young adults, and a small number of immigrants had begun to trickle in.

As I stood in my spot at the water's edge, it was hard for me to believe six years had passed. I saw my friends at the annual reunion, of course, but I was otherwise secluded in the once shambled town. When I was working, time went by quickly, but it was moments like these, having a few minutes to myself, when I began to remember the past and grow a little too nostalgic.

With a bit of a sniffle, I was about to turn to go inside when someone came up beside me. A part of me wasn't surprised—a part of me was never surprised when it came to her—and I couldn't help but smile. Our fingers brushed against each other, entwined affectionately. Neither of us spoke, but neither of us ever had to.

_End._


End file.
